After Everything
by lankree
Summary: Things Change... even for Raven.
1. HalfHuman Shield

After Everything1

Chapter One: Half-Human Shield

Being a teen superhero meant not always doing the right thing.

Being a teen superhero who used to be a teen super villain meant making a lot of bad decisions.

Being the teammate of a teen superhero who used to be a teen super villain meant having to deal with a lot of remnant bad habits.

And being Raven, the teammate of Jinx, the teen superhero who used to be a teen super villain, meant that any incident mimicking old behavior was grounds for immediate and permanent elimination. Usually Cyborg could calm Raven's rage at Teen Titan Jinx after a battle. But combining Jinx's antics, a menstruating half-demoness, and one Dr. Light made the circumstance completely out of his capable hands. He decided to take a back seat and let Jinx and Raven's mutual dislike of each other explode in the abandoned warehouse where they had cornered their villain. If their powers destroyed anything, it wouldn't be a piece of his precious Tower… that was really all he could ask for.

"Does the word team mean anything to you?" Raven shouted at the other half-demon Titan fighter. Raven's hands were balled up in fisticuffs, her hood was drawn down to show that anger was running through her entire body and not just in her eyes.

"Of course it does. Hive Five, Teen Titans; it seems I just can't do the solo thing. I'm a natural team player." Jinx responded, focusing her attention on her impeccable appearance. She pouted before brushing a bit of dust from her long sleeve.

"You just tried to use me as a human shield!" Raven yelled back.

Beast Boy slunk in between the moon-pale Titan witches, mischief clearly intended in his green eyes. He dropped his arm onto Raven's shoulder cheekily. "Technically, she tried to use you as half-human shield. Hahahahaha"

Jinx laughed. "Nice one, BB."

It would be Starfire who systematically collected the scattered pieces of Beast Boy and sewed him back together.

Robin chose then to interfere before Raven turned her powers onto the newest member of the Teen Titan squad. From where he had been fighting, it had seemed to the Titans' leader that the mission had gone off without a hitch. The fact that it apparently hadn't just spoke to the fact that nothing ever went smoothly when Jinx and Raven were in the same… universe.

"Raven, calm down. You two are supposed to be partners." Robin said, making appeasing gestures. Raven had promised the day after she had defeated Trigon to never use her powers for violence against him, but he was always cautious none the less.

Raven snorted before crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head to the side.

"'Supposed to' is the operative word, dear leader." Jinx responded. "Raven doesn't appear to be a team player."

Robin raised a hand and effectively calmed Raven's rage. "Jinx, give it a rest. I know whatever happened here, you weren't totally innocent. We'll discuss this when we get back to the tower. Jinx, go ride in the T-car," Robin took a firm grip on Raven's upper arm. Before she could protest, Robin gave her an order. "Raven, come with me."

Jinx followed Robin's order, walking behind Cyborg and Starfire who were double checking to make sure they collected all the fragments of Beast Boy that Raven's retaliation to his 'joke' had created. Beast Boy was the only one who didn't think that Cyborg's suggestion of replacing any missing pieces of BB with hotdogs was funny.

The T-car was loaded and directed to a route back to the tower before Robin released Raven's arm and gave her his total attention. "You wanna tell me what this is about?" He asked.

"You know what this is about, Robin! It's been about the same thing for the last three months! I don't want Jinx to be my partner, I don't want Jinx on our team and I definitely don't want Jinx to be my partner on our team!"

"Raven, we've been over this. Jinx is a part of our team now, a valuable part. Ever since we were nearly defeated by the Brotherhood of Evil, all of us Titans realized that we needed a stronger Titans' network to protect ourselves from such attacks again."

"But the Brotherhood of Evil is destroyed. We don't need to worry about them anymore."

"The Brotherhood may be gone, but while there are superheroes, there will always be super villains, just like Dr. Light."

"Dr. Light hardly constitutes…"

"Raven." Robin cut his teammate off. "We all agreed that we needed to create a buddy system to protect each other: I have Starfire, Beast Boy has Cyborg, and you have Jinx."

"I understand the system, what I don't understand is why I have to be punished by it. You get a partner you're used to and can trust. So do Beast Boy and Cyborg. Couldn't I have gotten Kid Flash or Jericho or even Speedy?"

"Kid Flash was assigned to Titans East so that we wouldn't break up existing teams. Kid Flash compliments Speedy's abilities; that's why he's in Steel City with them. Jinx's powers compliment yours; that's why she's here in our tower."

Raven shook her head angrily. She hadn't been convinced the first time Robin had said those words to her. Three months of repeating them after every fight the half-demonesses had didn't provide Raven with any clarity or reduction of hostilities towards her 'partner'.

It did however provide Robin with more headaches. As the leader of the Titans, Robin had his share of catastrophic entities to deal with: there was Slade, there was _always_ Slade, there was the Elemental, and then there was, of course, the monsters at home.

The fights between Jinx and Raven were indeed a broken record. He knew all of their ingredients the way Starfire knew the ingredients of her Deep Fried Glorka Worm Pupua Casserole with Muck Beetle Gut Jelly Sauce… both of them created disastrous effects around the Tower and in his lower intestine.

"Doesn't compatibility count for anything? I mean, Argent's powers compliment mine. She could have been my partner." Raven responded.

"Argent wasn't willing to leave her sector and besides, she and Bushido make a surprisingly effective team. Raven, I understand that this is going to take some getting used to, but you need to get passed your old feelings about Jinx and accept that she is a Titan and she is a part of this team and she is your partner."

"You're so lucky that I don't have superpowers, otherwise you'd be in a million little pieces right now." Raven gritted angrily.

Robin raised a hidden eyebrow. "Uh, Raven, you do have superpowers." He stated helpfully.

Raven pulled her hood over her head. "Then I guess you're just lucky."

Raven turned her back to her leader and let the movement close her cloak around her body. "I'll see you back at the tower." She said, before letting her demonic heritage take its true form. The _Raven_'s cry pushed Robin's hair and cape back. She disappeared above him.

Robin exhaled deeply from his nose. The moving air voiced his displeasure just as much as his slow head shake.

Robin knew it would be sometime before Raven returned to the tower. She was probably going out to her hidden spot in the Pacific Ocean to meditate or destroy something. She thought no one knew about it, but Robin knew and had explicitly forbade anyone from exercising curiosity and exploring Raven's sanctuary. That meant threatening Beast Boy and Starfire with a ban on tofu and banning celebrations of friendship, respectively. So far it had worked to let Raven keep her sanctuary, what it hadn't done was appease Raven's anxieties.

He knew that this was more than just about Jinx. It was about Jinx and Terra (whom the other Titans confirmed as the former Titan four months ago) and Raven's powers slowly becoming stronger than she could handle. Robin knew that the purpose of Raven's sanctuary was the place Raven went to expunge the explosive element of her powers. It was where she unlocked all the dark parts of her mind: the parts the controlled hate, fear, and memory.

Robin knew that Raven was capable and he knew that his team could be counted on to support her. He just didn't know what to prepare for.

Robin climbed onto the R-cycle. He pulled his helmet on firmly and kick started his personalized ride. The engine roared cleanly. When Robin lifted his leg, the R-cycle peeled down the road back towards the tower. As the lights and trash of Jump City were left behind him, Robin found he couldn't outrace his thoughts.

_Nothing that comes with Raven is easily or simple. She never suffers single incidences, her problems are always compounded. A mental problem is always a spiritual problem tangled in a biological problem. Now… the mental part is trust, the spiritual part is her powers and the biological part is her cycle._

Robin had made, maybe nine months ago, the error of enquiring with Starfire why Raven appeared to be in a particularly foul mood, even for her, to which Starfire responded "Raven is suffering from the cycle". When he hadn't understood immediately, something he still berates himself about to this day, Starfire took it upon herself to explain to him in a depth of detail that still gave the Boy Wonder nightmares, just what a woman's cycle was and the complications - hormonal, dispositional, and Boronal (which Robin assumed was Tameranian for clothing) – that arose from their biological obligations. Starfire was embarrassingly thorough in removing Robin's ignorance of the subject and _helpfully, _took to marking the calendars with red pen whenever Raven was on her cycle.

Robin shook his head as he continued to steer his R-cycle home. _This only led Beast Boy to start marking everyday of the calendar in red pen once he found out what the code was… When Raven learned what the code was and about Beast Boy's subtle critique of her behavior… we still haven't found the last shreds of his comic book collection… or his back left molars. _

Robin spun his wheel sharply and slid his R-cycle assigned to Tuesdays between his R-cycle assigned to Monday and his R-cycle assigned to Wednesday, with a level of cool befitting him. He pulled off his helmet and made his assent into the tower.

No one knew how to throw a fit like Raven. He had never met a person more entitled to them. For all of her shortcomings, Raven's episodes of rage were always prodded by someone: usually a villain, but more and more recently they had been coming from inside the tower.

He knew where he had to go and really wasn't looking forward to it. Jinx and Raven lived on the same floor with Beast Boy, which turned out to just be a really poor arrangement on Cyborg's part. Each room had been explicitly designed to suit the Titans' personalities, but Cyborg hadn't thought far enough to consider tranquility in his layout. Robin had been privy to a great deal of fights between Raven and Jinx on the way to the stairs leading to the floor that he shared with Starfire and Cyborg. He remembered explicitly their first fight and his first attempt to promote unity between the moon-pale witches.

/flashback/

Robin, who read Raven's airs better than any other Titan, knew hostility when he saw it. Of course, it would take no detective skills to determine Raven was angry and at whom, when she shouted loud enough to rock the floor beneath the Titans' leader's feet.

"Get away from me!"

Robin raised an eyebrow as Jinx seemed completely impervious to the Raven-Glare™.

Jinx planted her right hand on her narrow hip, using her left hand to wave off Raven's anger, obviously bored and unimpressed. "For the last time, I'm not going to betray the Titans. I zapped you on accident. You moved into the way of my blast. If I wanted to shock you, I would have done it more cleanly than that, Raven. So get over it! I am not going to turncoat!"

"Until it suits your purpose." Raven sneered, using her powers to clean the wound on her arm from Jinx's "accident".

"Why won't you trust me?"

"Because I've experienced a lie like this before." Raven muttered before sinking through her door, leaving Jinx to frown at her exit.

"Real nice, Raven. You've got passive-aggressive down to a tee. That magical disappearing act is _really_ something." Jinx crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her heel impatiently. She sighed deeply and turned her cat-eyes to the side of the corridor where her spectator stood. "She doesn't like me."

Robin realized his position was compromised and came out of his observational stoop. He stood side by side with the pink haired hex artist. "Yeah, you really rub her the wrong way."

"I don't want to rub her at all!" Jinx responded.

"You two just need to work on your teamwork a bit more. Just try to understand her a little. Another… Titan shook us up with the flip-flop from good to evil… It really affected Raven. Just try not to push her."

"Sure."

Jinx was no where as good at hiding her mischievousness as Beast Boy was and that was saying something, because if Beast Boy was any more transparent, he'd be glass. Robin turned to his fifth, technically sixth, subordinate. "Jinx, I mean it. Raven's already proved her mettle; you still have to prove yours. If you're serious about being a Titan, you'll act serious and be a part of this team and that means not purposely prodding Raven."

"You're no fun."

"I don't have to be fun, I'm right. Just do the super hero thing, Jinx, with no games. Meet her half-way and she'll come around."

/end flashback/

Robin remembered saying those words, but as it was, Raven wasn't coming around. She was getting worse. Robin couldn't do anything about Raven's powers or cycle, but he could help settle her trust issues. So he knocked on Jinx's door and prepared to do his part as leader, to keep his team from destroying itself.

Jinx opened her door smoothly and already had an apology on her lips before Robin raised his hand to silence her.

"I don't want your excuses. I don't want your games. I don't need your fake apologies. You made a mistake, Jinx. A big one."

"I know." Jinx replied, genuinely sorry.

"The Titans are a team, a real good one. We're only as strong as the bonds we have to each other. You had a team once; you should know how this goes."

Jinx would have raised an eyebrow if she had one. The incredulous look she had perfected was just as good. "Umm, did you meet my last team? We weren't exactly the beacons of camaraderie."

"Well, you're on this team now and I expect more from you. You have an amazing talent, Jinx. That's why you're here. But you're only as good as your effort and right now, this is no good."

"I understand." Jinx responded.

"You're a Teen Titan and we're kind of a big deal. We can't go back to infighting and just being a group of kids who would rather be together than alone."

"Old habits die hard, you know? You can't expect me and Raven to go from enemies to BFF in a few weeks. Even months is asking a bit much… but… I'll try harder."

"You'll start by apologizing when Raven gets back to the Tower."

Jinx knew better than to feign innocence or complain against Robin's order. "Where is she anyway?"

"That's not your concern." Robin had once, just once, considered telling Jinx about Raven's sanctuary, but decided that he wasn't completely suicidal. If Raven smelled anything close to Jinx in her sanctuary, the world would experience a rage like it had never seen before. Robin absolutely wanted no part of it. "When she gets back, you'll know. Whenever she gets back, you two have a training session tomorrow morning at seven."

"I know. I know. I'll be there."

Jinx shut her door and Robin wished he had pockets in his tights so he could put his hands in them as he walked away. He settled for letting them dangle at his side. He choose to ignore Starfire's invitation to ingest large amounts of unhealthy confectionaries while watching the Opera of Soaps Marathon and instead went to double check that the special locks and seals he had ordered Cyborg to install in the training room were fully operating.

_From seven AM to however long it takes, somehow I'll get these girls to be partners. The Titans stand together or not at all. _

End of Part


	2. Small Corners

After Everything2

Chapter Two: Small Corners

On a scale of one to ten, one being her version of 'happy', ten being 'ready to bring down a small city' and five being a 'willing to commit justifiable homicide', Raven was hovering around a four. According to Raven's Scale of Rage, that meant she was in the mindset to maim a teammate. Normally Raven's mood was a constant two, meaning 'mildly dissatisfied with… everything'. However, when on her cycle or when dealing with a pink haired half-demoness, more often than not Raven's Scale of Rage was steady at just shy of murder.

Nothing bothered Raven, or affected her disposition, more than her period. Nothing. And that was saying something, because a great deal of things annoyed her on many levels –usually low levels, but there were things on the incredibly high levels. She didn't have an extreme level, she didn't do extreme. Her extreme was Armageddon. There were few things that rivaled the aggravation Raven felt when she was on her cycle: one was green, one was alien and one was dead meat if SHE had been responsible for the blaring alarm and flashing danger detector.

Heaven help Jinx if Raven encountered her today.

_But damn it_, Raven thought: she had training with Jinx today… it was on the docket after answering the call.

It was just past six-fifty in the morning when the alarm went off, her alarm monitors flashed angrily as the siren blared. Raven could sleep through hurricanes, but the dead couldn't sleep through that noise.

Jinx's door slid open as Raven walked passed it. Because the alarm was going off, the two were able to demonstrate some sort of unity by being able to share the same hallway.

"It's early, so whoever it is must be dumb or new."

"Probably both." Raven responded.

"Heh," Jinx responded, "Even though I hate early mornings, something good will come from this. Our training session might get cancelled."

"If only we were so lucky." Raven answered.

Jinx didn't believe in good luck. She had made her entire lifestyle fashion the promises of curses, tricks and series of unfortunate events. She tried to break a mirror at least once a day. If there was such a thing as good fortune, it was obviously sitting around somewhere, giving her the finger. Before the witch pair made it to the stairwell, the alarm silenced and Robin tuned into both of their communicators.

"Raven, Jinx, we just received a report from the JCPD-Special Forces Unit. They're giving us the stand down. Johnny Rancid has been captured and taken in."

"No saving the day for us." Jinx huffed.

Raven frowned. "Johnny Rancid? But wasn't he trapped in the Brotherhood of Evil breakdown? How did he get out?"

"Not sure. There was never an inventory done on who was captured. I'm going to contact the Doom Patrol and have them look into it."

"We should do it," Raven replied, "capturing the Brotherhood of Evil was our accomplishment."

"This isn't a competition. We can work together with another unit. They are well equipped to handle any situation that may come up."

Jinx snorted. "If that were true, they wouldn't have needed us."

"There's no need to dwell on that. We have other matters to attend to. Starfire and I are going to take the first patrol and have a word with the JCPD-SFU. Beast Boy and Cyborg will maintain the tower and you two have a training session in less than a minute."

Nothing would have made Raven happier than something large and crushing falling onto her… no that wasn't true: if something large and crushing fell onto Jinx and Robin simultaneously… that would have been better. Robin turned off communication before Raven received any sort of satisfaction. The half-human witches made their decent to their specific training grounds to prepare for their routine.

Jinx went to the control station as Raven used her powers to reset some of the set-up from one of their previous sessions. They passed levels efficiently when they didn't directly interact. Raven could handle the air and Jinx was a great menace on the ground. Jinx typed a series of keys. "Which simulation do you want to run? Boy Blunder has loaded four for us to go through: The UP AND DOWN for aerial and ground attacks, the METAPHYSICS MELTDOWN for dealing with energy opponents, the TAGTEAM TAKEDOWN for the good guys gone bad scenario – seems a little ridiculous having it… how often does that sort of thing happen anyway?" Jinx pondered.

"More often then you think… what's the last one?" Raven asked, her cloak was pulled up around her head as she kept her back to Jinx, surveying the layout of their training field. It wouldn't be much use to memorize the layout as all of it were subject to change per Cyborg's hardwiring, but it was no worse to be unable to hide behind a rock you had thought was available than to trip over one you hadn't known was there.

"Hmm, there is no last one. Boy Blunder seems to have loaded the TAGETEAM TAKEDOWN twice. Maybe one scenario it's BB and Cyborg and the other is Starfire and Boy Blunder."

"Will you stop saying that?"

"What?" Jinx asked.

"Stop calling Robin 'Boy Blunder'."

"Why? You do it."

"I know that, but even Beast Boy knows that no one likes a parrot."

"Raven, will you kindly get over yourself? I am not here to steal your thunder. You can have total monopoly on the angry, sad, lonely, angsty kid. I'm the funny, talented, likable witch. See? No overstepping your boundaries." Jinx rolled her eyes with her back still lined up with Raven's back. She did not need Negative Nancy playing the same weepy song she always did this early in the morning. Unlike the rest of the Titans, Jinx absolutely refused to nurse Raven's wounds.

"Just load the simulator."

"Which one?"

"Any one! UP AND DOWN! It doesn't matter." Raven shouted.

Raven's energy flowed out of her in a fog against the ground. She closed her eyes and calmed herself, pulling her powers back to her body. Jinx's back was turned, making her unable to see the relieved features in Raven's face that nothing had been damaged. Jinx turned her eyes to the side and caught a glimpse of Raven's powers before they sunk back into their source. Her comprehending sigh was inaudible over the activation of the simulator.

"Titans' Training Simulation: UP AND DOWN, beginning in one minute." Jinx stated.

She took a step back as the control lowered underneath the training room floor. The pink haired witch walked backwards until she was side by side with the purple haired witch. Raven adjusted her cloak over her face, casting shadows to hide as much of herself as possible. The moon pale Azarathian maiden levitated gently just inches off the floor, her dark powers flowing in a relaxed sphere around her balled fists. Jinx cocked her head in Raven's direction.

"Raven, you've read the Proroardia Chronicles haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you do know that the most efficient manner to dispel excess chaos energy is to cast the Eliminator spell rather than trying to recall it?"

Raven balked, realizing her attempt to hide her lapse was caught. Jinx looked down at her feet where the earth was starting to crack. She nudged the splitting soil with her toe gently. Her wicked eyes shifted to Raven's face.

"Simulation is beginning. Ready?"

Jinx tumbled forward out of the way as a commandobot emerged from the ground underneath her original position. Raven's face was twisted in dissatisfaction, but it cleared quickly as she used her powers to grab the liberated commandobot and hurl it at the jetpack wearing commandobot that was coming at her from the air. The two mechanical bodies exploded, hurling smoke into the air that was cut apart by Jinx's hex waves.

Raven blocked a laser attack aimed for her front. Through her internal divinity she could see two commandobots stalking Jinx. One was coming in from behind, the other from above. Jinx was actively engaging another bot and would be able to do nothing to stop the attack. Raven dropped her shield and rose another that stopped the thunderous punch aimed for the square of Jinx's back. Jinx blasted away the enemy before her and turned at the echoing sound of the countered attack. She looked up in shock and caught in her sights the diving commandobot coming at her from the air. At Raven dropped the shield behind her, Jinx leaped vertically, turning her heel to catch her attacker under its extended arm. The blow threw the bot into the one behind her and caused them both to explode. Jinx covered her eyes from the explosion with her right arm and barely caught a glimpse of the next attack running through the smoke.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A three talon claw formed around Jinx's waist, gripping her firmly and pulling her backwards swiftly, pulling her feet off the ground. The attacking bot's downward palm strike splintered the floor. Jinx's eyes widened as the black energy around her middle dispersed and formed a dome around that last robot. She looked up to see Raven crossing her arms in front of her chest, palms open and facing out. Raven's eyes flashed white as she clenched her fists closed. Jinx watched only Raven, but knew that the commandobot she had trapped was destroyed.

_Raven… you are…_

"That's the last of them." Raven said as she lowered herself back to the ground.

"Yuh, yeah. You want to run another simulation? We've only been in here for twenty minutes, I'm sure the Boy Blunder expects us to be here for at least an hour."

"Our training isn't about doing it for a long time; it's about doing it right. We accomplished our objective."

"Yeah, you can't force teamwork. I'll power down, you can leave."

Raven nodded and went to the controller for the door to switch it on. It wouldn't open. Raven frowned and checked the pad. The door wasn't just failing to open, the opening control was disabled.

"Jinx, can you override the door controls from the switch panel?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, sure." Jinx typed in the key code and was rewarded with a glaring rejection notice. "What? The code…"

"What?" Raven asked.

"The code has been changed. I can't get the door to open from here."

Raven snorted. She stepped back to Jinx's side and took over the control panel, her fingers sweeping over the keys in strong, purposeful strokes. Her authorization was higher than Jinx's, but it still wasn't high enough to get the door open. _I don't need this,_ Raven thought,_ I swear to Azar I don't need this…_

"Why are the doors locked?" Jinx asked.

"That would be our dear leader's doing." Raven responded. The moon pale witch pulled her communicator from the back of her belt and tuned into Robin.

"Raven calling Robin, over."

"Raven, is something the matter?"

"Why are the doors locked?"

"Raven, I…"

"No softstepping, why did you change the passcode while Jinx and I were in a training session?"

"The passcode change shouldn't affect you. It's only temporary. Cyborg should have it switched back by the time your training session is complete."

"Our training is finished, let us out."

"You're telling me you went through the entire circuit already?" Robin asked, his tone suggesting he knew very well they hadn't. Raven wasn't going to fuel his ambition by answering in the negative. Both moon pale witches remained silent and let Robin talk. "Raven, this is a big deal. You and Jinx need to improve your teamwork. Cyborg and I specially planned your training circuit to get the best out of you both."

"I suppose you also planned the false alarm this morning to make sure we were up and ready for this specially planned training." Jinx commented, crossing her arms over her chest. Neither of them was stupid, they were smart enough to see through Robin's plan… when there was nothing they could do about it.

"You used locking scrolls from my texts to make sure I couldn't get out with my powers." Raven assessed, as she observed the markings on the walls around her.

"And you reinforced every wall and exit so that neither of our powers could tear it down. We're trapped in here." Jinx drummed her fingers against her folded arms.

"For how long?" Raven asked.

"You have several training simulations and exercises to complete your objective. Time isn't a factor. But at the very least, I hope you learn something over the next sixteen hours."

"Sixteen hours?" Raven gritted out.

"Robin out." Raven's communicator went dead. She didn't try to retune him, she knew him well enough to know that he had deadened her line, she wouldn't be calling anyone. "Damn it." Raven tucked her communicator back into her belt. She sat down where she was and took the lotus position. She felt a headache brewing but instead of rubbing her temples, or expelling her mantra, she rubbed the insides of her thighs.

"Well, look at it this way," Jinx said, "We really only have fifteen and a half hours to go."

Raven resisted her urge to purge the universe of Jinx's nonsense permanently.

Jinx put her hands on her hips and observed Raven. "Why do you do that? Rub the inside of your thighs that way?"

"It's a nervous habit."

"You have nerves?"

"Yes, and you're getting on them."

"Touchy. You know, even for someone as cool as me, you're really someone I can't stand, Negative Nancy." Jinx responded.

"Then feel free to leave." Raven spat back.

"If I could leave, we wouldn't be here."

"I mean the Titans, the Tower, all of it. Just go."

"Are you going to go through this same sob story about how your life is so hard and you don't need any more problems to deal with? You're more repetitive than Cherry Bubblegum when she goes over her bodily maintenance routine. If it weren't for that pretty face, I wouldn't know how the Boy Blunder puts up with her." Jinx said coolly.

"Stop it!" Raven shouted getting to her feet. "Stop calling Robin Boy Blunder. Stop calling Starfire Cherry Bubblegum. Stop calling me Negative Nancy. Stop being funny, stop being cool, stop acting like this is okay and you belong here! Because you don't. I don't want a partner, I don't need a partner and the Titans are a five piece. Six is and always will be a poor fit."

"I get it Raven. You don't like me. You think I'm against you, you think the whole world is a conspiracy against you. But let me tell you something, no one is that concerned about you. So get over yourself. If you open the doors to your pity party one more time, I'm going to make you wish the same thing that every person who ever met you has: that you were never born."

"Just try it." Raven threatened.

Raven and Jinx stood toe to toe then, staring at each other radiating energies that would make lesser women faint. Raven's energy crackled against the air. Jinx's negative vibe made vibrations against the ground.

"If you want me gone so bad, make me go. Let's do this once and for all. We've got sixteen hours to lay this place to waste side. If you can beat me just once, I will be a ghost."

"No take backs." Raven replied, her eyes flashing white.

Jinx's eyes flashed pink. "It won't be a problem."

Raven's palm thrust aimed at Jinx's nose started it. Jinx blocked with her own palm, wrapping her fingers around the side of Raven's hand. The grip gave her a pivot; Jinx leapt into the air and swung her right leg out to slam into Raven's side. Raven caught Jinx's calve under her arm and used her ankle to spin Jinx off the ground. The pink haired witch turned her body sharply and kicked Raven in the chest before Raven could hammer-throw her. The blow knocked Raven back and Jinx front flipped away from the other witch landing low to the ground.

Jinx spun back to face Raven to see the girl pull off her cloak and throw it to the side. Raven released a strangled grunt as she lifted blocks of stone with her powers and hurled them at Jinx. The acrobatic fighter leapt and dodged most of the blows, shattering the last boulder with a curse blast. Through the crumbling stone she saw Raven approach, blocking the three leaping kicks with her palms, and ducking under the high spin kick the followed. Jinx back flipped to evade Raven's low spin kick and the girl became more serious with each of Raven's strikes.

Raven blocked Jinx's backhand blow with the back of her fist, leaping upwards and slamming her shin into Jinx's shoulder. As Raven landed from her rotating motion, Jinx used both hands to push Raven's back and offset the stronger wizard. Raven back kicked to keep Jinx from advancing.

Jinx's sweep kick took Raven's legs from under her. Raven's back slammed into the ground. Her arms crossed over her chest to block Jinx's hammering heel. Jinx gritted her teeth as her leg was thrown aside. Raven leapt to her feet and caught Jinx with a rising uppercut. Jinx grabbed her aching chin, but had enough sense of battle to back flip away from Raven's next kicking strikes. Raven gave chase with energy clasps slicking out like crescent moons. Jinx was simply too fast to be caught by Raven's attacks.

Raven's thigh slid against the ground as she dove to sweep kick Jinx's feet from beneath her. Jinx cartwheeled to the left and capitalized on Raven's position. Her eyes flashed as a blast of energy destroyed the solid ground beneath Raven.

Raven got to her feet in time to see Jinx pointing her toes to start a tornado spin that shot her hex energy out from her body in a whirlwind. Raven blocked her eyes for a second when some shots cracked the ground below her. When the blades of Jinx's spell came at her body, they were deflected by Raven's shield.

Jinx stopped her spin and Raven dropped her shield. Jinx's wicked eyes narrowed, her signature energy radiating from her hands in an electric glow as Raven's dark powers swam in a solid sphere around her hands. Simultaneously then clinched their right fists. Their screams echoed each other as they dove forward, their fists met and the explosion rocked the entire tower.

…

Silkie bounced in the air about three feet before landing and rebounding off the counter and onto the floor. Starfire pouted as she watched her bumgorf pout and then cry. She picked up the mutant worm and shushed it with her rocking motion.

"There, there, my little bumgorf. Your kanorfka is here."

Silkie quieted, but Starfire remained on edge. "Robin, perhaps we should check on Raven and Jinx… that last blast was… loud." Starfire said.

Robin shook his head in the negative and continued to clean his bird-a-rangs. "If they're going to fight, they should do it in the training room and get it all out of their system. Trust me, it's for their own good."

"Do you truly believe that their fighting of each other is a good solution for their mutual dislike of each other? Perhaps a reading of Tameran's poem of good will or festival of New Beginnings is in order."

"Starfire, no. This is something the two of them need to work out. Just the two of them."

…

"Woah!"

Beast Boy was thrown from his stool and crashed backside first into a pile of socket wrenches and bolts. The bolts rolled against the ground and eventually clunked into Cyborg's prostrate metal frame. The titanium titan rolled himself from beneath the T-car, his face carrying an expression between worry and wonder.

"What was that?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know. Robin said that Raven and Jinx are training together today, it must be them… nothing causes a big boom like an angry Raven or Jinx."

"That sounds reasonable…" Cyborg sat up and looked back at the T-car, placing his hand on it to check for any visible dents.

"Should we check on them?"

"Uhh, I'm not putting my finger prints on that train wreck." Cyborg replied, laying down back on his board. He pushed with his heels to slide himself back under his Baby, his hand sticking out and gesturing to Beast Boy. "Hey, BB, hand me the lug wrench."

"Uh, sure…" Beast Boy looked down at the tools scattered out around him. Beast Boy rubbed his head. "Which one is that again?"

…

Speedy missed the target.

Kid Flash wooted in victory. "I win! I told you that you couldn't hit one hundred bull's eyes in a row. You owe me five bucks."

Speedy frowned. He hadn't missed. He turned to Aqualad and Bumble Bee. Aqualad was wading the water and Bumble Bee was floating gently above the ground. "Did any of you guys feel that?"

…

A blond girl raised her hand in the middle of her geometry class when her teacher broke her chalk and failed to recover. "Ms. Clay… are you alright?"

Ms. Clay cleared her throat and turned back to face her class. Her long brown braid fell over her shoulder and a disingenuous smile graced her pretty face. "I'm just fine class. Let's see, how about I let you all out a few minutes early? No homework this weekend."

The junior B-wave Murakami High geometry class greatly approved and cleared out ten minutes before the exit bell. Except one.

"Ms. Clay… are you sure you're alright?"

"I am, thank you Tara."

"Is there still theater club today?" Tara asked.

Ms. Clay nodded. "Could you go ahead of me and set up for today's auditions? We still need to cast our Andromeda for our **Boast of Cassiopeia **production… as long as you still don't want the part."

Tara smiled and shook her head in the negative. "I'm sorry, Ms. Clay, but I don't like playing the damsel in distress. You'll need another girl."

"I think so too…"

…

It only remained a room by the bare essentials of the definition of a room. The four walls were standing, the roof was there… for the most part, and the holes in the floor weren't enough to make the entire thing cave in. Cyborg would be thoroughly unimpressed by their 'teamwork'.

Jinx smirked down at Raven, whose face was upside down and twisted up in pain. Jinx held her firmly off the ground by her left ankle, able to see the scratches and lines of pain in Raven's body.

Jinx snorted. "Raven, that was pathetic, that didn't satisfy me at all. But cheer up, emo kid, I didn't expect much from you as it is."

Raven's rage flashed over her eyes, her fists balled up tightly around her face. "Don't mess with me!" She screamed.

The energy blast hurled Raven and Jinx apart to the very extreme ends of the room. Jinx slammed back first into the ground, before rebounding and spider crouching against the wall behind her. Her fingers splayed out against the chipping pant, her left heel and toe the only part of her on the ground. Raven levitated only inches above the ground, breathing hard, and sweat rolling down her face.

"Tired, Rae?" Jinx asked.

"This isn't finished yet."

Jinx smiled and rolled forward. Her front handspring pushed her away from the wall, her left leg landing first, the right one in front of it as Raven's feet touched down, right ankle ahead of the left. Jinx's eyes picked up their signature glow. She extended her right hand and gestured for Raven to come at her. "Come on, baby, show me what ya got."

Raven pulled her right hand back.

…

Robin had said sixteen hours, but the two were only trapped against their will for about fourteen in a half. At nine thirty, Raven and Jinx stopped fighting even though they both had more blows to deal, hair to pull and names to swing. Raven wrapped her left hand around her middle. Her left cheek was swollen and the skin on her right skin was rubbed raw. Jinx's right arm was nearly limp at her side as she hunched over to nurse her right knee. Her lip was busted and there was a ringing in her ear that she didn't like at all… at least her hair was okay.

"Raven, Jinx, I'm gonna have to cut your training session short." Robin shouted through the telecommunicater screen that was barely still functioning. His image came in waves, broken by static. Jinx wasn't positive that he had even said her name.

"We've got trouble." Robin stated firmly. The doors behind Raven slid open and both of the moon pale witches looked to the exit than up to Robin. His masked eyes narrowed. "Slade."

…

Starfire and Raven flew above the T-car. Jinx sat shotgun beside Cyborg. Robin didn't have the audacity to talk about anything other than their mission.

"The JCP-SFU gave a level three alarm for a break-in in progress at the Wayne Enterprises building on the east side of jump. The droids they encountered are a specific type." Robin stated clearly over the roar of his R-cycle.

"Slade's type." Beast Boy finished.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Jinx muttered.

"Cool it, Jinx." Cyborg offered. "Slade is a big deal. This is his first appearance since…" Cyborg's eyes drifted purposely to the rearview mirror and caught Beast Boy's features.

"Since Terra returned." Beast Boy finished again.

Jinx rolled her shoulders and wiped at the cut in her lip with the back of her hand. "What does Terra have anything to do with this? Don't tell me you had a thing with that traitor."

"Jinx, cool it." Cyborg warned.

"Yes, friends, please. Let us concentrate on our objective." Starfire pleaded.

"Starfire is right. This is Slade we're dealing with and we need to deal with this with absolute focus. You once worked for Slade; you should understand what we're dealing with." Robin responded.

"Yeah," Jinx answered, "It's one of the three things we have in common: acrobatics, leading a team, and once working for Slade."

"Enough, ya'll. We're here. Let's get in gear for a fight." Cyborg switched gears smoothly.

"Raven, is there something you wish to say?"

"We're here."

Raven floated above the T-car and R-cycle beside Starfire and waited with the bubbly alien powerhouse while the others dismounted. Robin pulled off his helmet.

"The report said to expect up to twenty drones and possibly Slade himself."

"What do you think Slade's after?" Cyborg asked.

"Doesn't matter. He's not getting it. Since the last time we were here, all the exits but two were sealed: the front and the back."

"My scanner says the same thing. Nineteen heavy mechanical signals not registered to the building and one biological screen. It's Slade."

"Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire and I will head a frontal assault. Jinx, Raven, there's a good chance of evasion through escape so I'll leave you two to cover the back entrance. Whatever it takes, don't let Slade escape."

Raven nodded and waved her cloak, encircling both herself and Jinx. The dark energy spiraled and the pair disappeared. Robin turned to the remaining team. "Titans, move."

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

The Slade-bots moved between the program fields, disabling security protocols with an unequaled ease. Several traps were side stepped with sensitive mirrors and overriding data chips. Each of the Slade-bots stepped forward noiselessly barely moving dust. Above their slaving heads was a single platform where the head commando stood…

Until a spiraling bird-a-rang sliced through its middle and sent it crashing to the ground. A Slade-bot turned to face the course of the flying weapon and followed it back to a silhouetted, gloved hand. The robot retrieved its blaster and pointed firmly. It was an upgraded model… somewhere along the line in his wicked schemes, Slade decided his robots needed to talk.

"Who's there?"

A cheeky grin cut through the darkness. A sliver of light danced over polished metal and a beam cannon opened. "Don't tell me you don't know who we are…"

A green eye narrowed and green light flashed over tightening palms. "We are the Teen Titans!"

A boot cleared the darkness, an arm resting over the turn of that thigh. Mischievous character flashed through a single toothy smirk. "And we're kind of a big deal."

The lights shined over head and all the darkness in the room was lost. Four Titans were arranged side by side with their leader ready, masked eyes seeing everything.

"Titans, go!"

…

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

"It's clear." Jinx said.

"Then we wait." Raven responded. "Slade isn't going anywhere until he plays his mind games."

"Yeah." Jinx answered.

Both pair of demon eyes watched the doors that lead in and out of the Titans Last Line of Defense against Slade escape.

…

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

Slade's eye narrowed in amusement as he watched the action through his closed circuit cameras. The hidden two kept watch on the split Titans unit. Robin was fighting, Jinx and Raven were waiting. None of them appeared to be any the wiser that he wasn't the only threat in this building.

"I do so love when everything goes according to plan."

Another Slade-bot's video feed was terminated as a Starbolt charged punch cut through its chest.

"I suppose its time for all the major players to make their appearance."

…

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

Robin's bo-staff cut through the last of Slade's droids. The Titans leader snorted deeply before retracting his weapon and placing it back in his belt. "Cyborg."

"That was all nineteen, cut through by fists, fangs, and bird-a-rangs."

"But where is Slade?" Starfire asked.

"I don't know for sure. I'm not picking up his biological feed anymore."

"He couldn't have escaped." Robin stated. "Not with Jinx and Raven at the door." The Boy Wonder flipped open his communicator. "Raven, come in."

"Raven here."

"How are things at your end?"

"Quiet. The closest thing to movement here is the air conditioner kicking on."

"Understood. Starfire and I are coming to meet you. Keep your eyes open and call if there's any trouble."

"Over."

Robin nodded and turned to Cyborg. "You and Beast Boy stay here to see if you can find any clues to why Slade isn't showing his face."

"Maybe he is and we're just looking for the wrong one." Cyborg said, turning to view the desecrated robot bodies laying against the floor.

"Check them out. Contact me if you find anything. Star, lets go."

…

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

"I didn't work for Slade for very long, but I do know that he's patient and calculating… but only so patient." Jinx said.

"He won't rush. He's good at being bad… in fact he's the worst."

"Here I thought that was a title you saved for me." Jinx answered.

Raven rolled her eyes. Her face pinched into a frown and Jinx raised her brow as the air conditioner kicked on again. "Did you hear that?" Raven asked.

"Yeah… the air conditioner kicked on. What about it?"

"That was only two minutes since the last cycle. All the other cycles were four minutes… something's changed."

"The vent is overhead. Can you reach it?" Jinx asked.

Raven and Jinx both tilted their heads to make them perfectly parallel to the ceiling and the floor. Together their eyes widened when the system above their heads liberated itself from overhead with a mighty blast and dropped on top of them.

…

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

Robin felt the floor shake beneath him. He frowned and stopped running. He opened his communicator. "Cyborg! Was that you?"

"That boom didn't come from here. Everything's dead."

"Raven! What's your status?"

There was no response.

"Raven! Come in!"

No response.

"Jinx, Raven? Do you copy?"

"Robin." Starfire said unsteadily.

"Come on."

Robin took flight on the ground as Starfire charged forward, her blood ready to fight.

…

**Tick.**

Jinx's opened mouthed pants barely got the air to her lungs. She had only just uncrossed her arms from over her face. Not inches above her head, the ten-ton unit floated. She could feel its reverberating energy against the skin of her hands. Just the sight of it so close made her heartbeat triple in pace.

If not for Raven, she would have been done for.

Jinx felt her communicator buzz in her pocket, but she had no choice but to ignore it. She could barely account for her tongue, let alone her voice. Her cat eyes shifted tightly back and forth, every inch of her body showed her fear.

Raven's black energy kept the unit floating until she moved it from above them. Jinx's heart relaxed when the shadow of the massive thing cleared her. Her feet felt cold when Raven sat the thing down at the other end of the room. The dust it kicked up settled after dancing around their ankles.

**Tock.**

"That was planned." Raven said. "Cyborg didn't pick up any timed devices, so it must have been a radio explosion."

Jinx nodded. "The trigger is in the hole."

Raven floated upward to inspect the detonation area.

She didn't expect a thunderous punch to the face.

**Tick.**

"Gah!" Raven's body slammed downward, her slender frame slamming onto the top of the unit that she had barely prevented from crushing her.

"Raven!" Jinx shouted. Before the moon pale witch could check on her partner, an imposing figure dropped down from the detonation area and landed in front of her.

"It would do you well, Jinx, to worry about yourself."

Jinx took a step backwards. "Slade."

**Tock.**

"I do so enjoy reunions with old friends. Don't you, Jinx?"

Jinx felt her communicator buzz again. Jinx took another step back. "What are you after?"

"Menacing the city in preparation to take it over… It is something of a hobby of mine."

"Why here? Why tonight? What do you want from Wayne Enterprises?"

**Tick.**

"Nothing… I just so enjoy the ambiance. I think its quite fitting for my new unveiling."

"Unveiling?"

**Tock. **

"Yes… and the Titans deserve the front row seat. So have one."

Slade dashed forward with a thunderous downward strike. Jinx backflipped out the way barely and threw forward a hex wave that kicked up dirt and dust between her person and Slade. She pulled out her communicator.

"Jinx calling—Ahhh!"

A brutal kick cut through the dirt and hurled Jinx into the far wall. Her communicator rolled into a corner and was lost in the darkness.

**Tick.**

Slade moved forward.

Jinx pulled herself up, holding her bruised breadbasket. She had only heard about others fighting Slade and him being strong.

There had been no exaggeration. She might lose.

"We can stop here or you can resist. The option is entirely yours. What do you choose? Mercy or Defeat?"

"How about I ask you that question?" Both Slade and Jinx looked over towards the other end of the room and saw Raven standing on top of the air unit. Her eyes were ablaze beneath the shadow of her hood. Raven's cloak rose as she lifted her arms above her head. "Except you don't get a choice!"

Jinx's eyes widened when a panel was ripped from over her head and smashed into Slade. The master villain stumbled backwards into a barrage of panels and units.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A massive sphere of energy encompassed the area between Jinx and Raven, trapping Slade in a short area. That sphere shrunk and shrunk further until Slade couldn't move and was forced to kneel with his chest against his knees.

_How strong has Raven gotten?_ Jinx wondered. _Is this how strong she is when she's really serious? So much energy… how does she contain…_

Jinx frowned when she felt a change in the energy Raven was releasing. "Raven, be careful with your energy. It's become unstable. Recite the Hexera Oath to calm it."

**Tick.**

"Be quiet. I have this under control." Raven responded, even as she felt resident dark energy seeping into her vision and through her blood.

**Tock.**

"No, you don't! An unstable spell like this is transient at best. If not the oath, then use the Noran Concentration Method. Or let me take his mask off to allow you to focus on something that doesn't represent fear to you!"

"Don't go near him! Just call Robin!"

**Tick.**

"I can do it, come closer and tighten the spell to make this easier."

"Jinx, be quiet! Call Robin and tell him to get here! Now!"

**Tock.**

"I won't do it until you use the method. The closer you are the stronger you spell will hold."

Raven floated closer, keeping her body three feet back and six feet above. "Will you just do as I say? Call Robin!"

"Mutiny amongst the ranks, is it Raven? It doesn't surprise me that no one respects you… even the turncoat. You were the weakest one…"

"Shut up!" Jinx shouted. She turned her back and ran into the dark corner to find her communicator.

Slade laughed even as Raven's energy pressed him in a tighter ball. "That was just for show, you know that don't you Raven? My apprentices all said that you were a talented one… but not too bright though…"

**Tick.**

Jinx swore her communicator fell in that corner. _Where is it?_

**Tock.**

Slade turned his head upwards so his single eye could meet Raven's angry face. "I understand though, why they don't trust you… you're the haunt of their dreams for peace. The girl who is the thing they fight, no matter what colors you wear."

Even trapped in Raven's spell he could see the excess energy spilling into the room around them. The ground around him and the air beneath Raven was being stained in her maker's colors.

**Tick.**

Raven's breathing was barely under her control. _Not now. Don't lose control, Raven. Do not let him get to you. Focus. Breathe. Breathe. _

Slade watched with amusement as a trail of sweat ran down Raven's face. Jinx cursed in the three dead languages she knew. She could hear Slade psychologically beating Raven and she knew from experience that Raven had a low tolerance for the thoughts of other people. If Jinx hadn't seen it for herself that there was something wrong with her powers, she would have believed that Raven could persist. But something was wrong here and Raven needed someone she trusted more than Jinx to stand behind her.

**Tock.**

"I wonder Raven… if it really is just a coincidence that the sixth member to your team is always a girl."

**Tick.**

"Shut up!" Raven shouted. _No, Raven, concentrate. You can do this. You caught Slade. You can do this._

**Tock. **

"Found it!" Jinx yelled triumphantly and emerged from the shadows, holding her communicator.

**Tick.**

**Tock.**

Slade's eye narrowed mischievously. "Boom."

Above Raven's head the ceiling began to splinter apart. Jinx dropped her communicator and dashed forward as the first explosion erupted close enough to shred through Raven's psyche. The barrier around Slade dissipated as Jinx dove and tackled Raven from the air to roll them both to safety as the roof crashed down before them.

Jinx's plan was interrupted when a metal ring cut through the air and crashed into her body, splitting open to lock back around Raven and Jinx's middle. The pair gasped as the ring constricted tightly. The swift in weight threw them to the floor with no guard as the roof collapsed on top of them.

Slade laughed as he cleared himself from harm. He stood up as the debris settled, dusting his suit from dust. "I must apologize for that, Raven, Jinx. My new apprentice is quite flashy... and appreciably thorough."

Jinx used her shoulder to push a board off her back as Raven's foot moved around Jinx's hip to kick the panel away from them. With their chests pinned together and Jinx's hands locked between their thighs it was hard to sit up. Raven sat on her shins and Jinx was teetering on her toes and knees, their heads just able to turn to look up to an amused Slade.

"Apprentice?" Jinx asked.

Slade looked up and a dark figure materialized above his head. "I had hoped for a larger audience. Theatrics are best on wide audiences."

"Because small groups can see through your tricks?" Raven spat back.

Slade looked down at his wrist. He pressed a button with his index finger. Raven gritted her teeth while Jinx shouted in pain. The ring released a disabling, electric charge as the ring constricted tighter into their bodies. "You must forgive me, dear apprentice. I had calculated that Robin and Starfire would appear just as Cyborg realized they were heading for a trap."

"The original print is fading." The apprentice joked menacingly.

"It's a good thing we have a copy, isn't it ladies?"

"Raven, who is that?"

"Slade's new apprentice: Red X."

Red X turned to Jinx and gazed at her intently. He dropped into a martial arts stance the moon pale witches were familiar with: Robin's.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure… but I will."

…

Robin would never regret being late as much as he did when he finally arrived at the exit of the Wayne Enterprises building.

Starfire had to pull the door off by the hinges to override the security code and get them into the room. Robin covered his eyes as a smoke screen residue swam into the corridor.

"Raven? Jinx? Friends! Are you in here?" Starfire asked as she flew into the room.

"How were the layout's plans so incorrect?" Robin asked. "We should have gotten here sooner… I should have realized something was wrong when neither of them answered their communicators."

"Do not despair Robin. I believe our friends will be al—hah!" Starfire gasped when she found her friends and it did not appear that they were alright.

"Raven! Jinx!"

The pair dashed over to the fallen duo. The moon pale witches were unconscious, propped up together against a wall. There were open cuts on them, on Raven's face, the sides of Jinx's arms and around their backs and middles. Robin dropped down beside them and felt them both for a pulse. They were breathing steadily. They were just unconscious. Robin grabbed at the ring at their middle and pulled, finding he didn't have the strength to break it. He reached into his pocket to pull free his kit as Starfire dropped down beside them. Starfire grabbed the ring and pulled it apart after trying just long enough to feel the stinging current that ran through the ring. Without thought, Starfire threw the ring halves across the room, letting them join the rest of the wreckage.

Their slack bodies fell at different angles. Jinx fell into Starfire's arms and Raven's check dropped into Robin's hands. The pair cradled their teammates and looked at each other over their slack bodies. Robin shook Raven gently until the girl was roused awake.

"Raven, are you okay?" Robin asked. "What happened?"

"Slade… it was a set up… he lured us here to make us aware."

"Aware of what?" Robin asked.

"X… Slade… I almost caught him… she got in the way."

Raven fainted again. Robin frowned deeply, his fingers gripping Raven's arms tightly. He looked up to Starfire then down to Jinx. "Something is very wrong here."

…

Jinx and Raven made full recoveries and the other Titans became aware of what Jinx and Raven knew. None of them were happy, least of all Raven.

The moon pale mystic levitated in her room, trying to ignore the rest of the world as she recited the Hexera Oath.

_Intordamor. Lesteridaran. Cimexis trida ror. Insudia. Yortordarai. Cidis. Yosha. Mor. Morta. Inveta. Invidia. Diwor. _

"Focus, Raven, breathe. You're prepared for this. You can control you powers. Breathe. Focus. Meditate. Azarath Metrion Zin---"

The knock on the door signaled to Raven that there was no such thing as good karma. Or rather, if there was such thing as good karma, it was sitting around some where, giving her the finger.

The knock continued during Raven's recalling of her excess energy. She'd have to dispel it later, after she reduced whoever it was who was bothering her to ashes. Raven pressed the key pad and released the door.

"I want to make amends." Jinx said simply.

Raven said nothing.

"Raven, what happened… it shouldn't have happened. If I were to have listened to you, Slade may very well be in JCPD custody right now. I shouldn't have questioned you and I shouldn't have aggravated you when you were obviously struggling to control you powers."

"That was the worst apology I ever heard." Raven said.

"I didn't say I was going to apologize. I came here to tell you the truth. I was out of line, but you should have listened to me too. You know better than I do that your powers are dangerous and need total control. I can't make your powers less dangerous, but I can give you control."

Raven really considered slamming the door in Jinx's face, but her shoulders drooped in resignation, knowing that deep down she had no choice in the matter. Something had to be done and the only person with a clue with how to start was the person she hated the most in that moment. Raven only stepped aside a few inches to show that she was letting Jinx in out of her generosity and not surrender. "You're not forgiven."

Jinx narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me blast you."

Jinx didn't like Raven's room at all. Even as much as she liked dark and depressing things, there was no emotion to anything in Raven's room but her books. She had seen it once before, years ago, and since then it hadn't gained any sense of personality. Like Raven, in Jinx's eyes, it was just there.

Except, of course, for the diary on Raven's desk that was open for Jinx's eyes. She only got to read a single written line before Raven slammed the book shut.

_**Sometimes, I just want to… disappear…**_

"I never took you for a quitter." Jinx commented to Raven's back as the Azarathian placed the book on her shelf.

"You don't know anything about me."

"I know plenty about you. Robin told me you defeated Trigon on your own."

A shadow fell over Raven's face. "I've never done anything on my own."

Jinx raised her brow as Raven's shoulder's sagged, her forehead resting against the second middle shelf of her bookcase. Her eyes tightened as her dark energy expelled itself against her will and swam into the room. A small chest from Raven's floor slammed into Jinx's upper back.

"Guh! That hurt!" Jinx shouted, rubbing the back of her neck.

Raven turned around quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I can't always direct my chaos energy. It acts on its own."

"And its frustrating I bet."

Raven didn't answer.

"I wouldn't know. I don't get kickbacks from my chaos energy. I suppose that's why my disposition is much more pleasant that yours. You should work on your displacement strategy."

"What?"

"As a witch you'd think you'd be better at psychology. You aren't mad at me… you're upset because your powers are out of control."

"No, I actually don't like you."

Jinx put her hands on her hips and turned her attention to one of Raven's tables that yielded an impressive stack of books. "Raven, these are seal books. The Acora. The Bitoran. The Jien Cyptocs? Why do you have these? You chakra type doesn't require seals."

Raven said nothing. In her head her mantra was replaying, she was doing everything she could to limit her chaos energy.

"I guess you're really desperate… you'll take any help you can get."

Shadows fell over Raven's eyes. She didn't move.

"I suppose that includes mine." Jinx continued. She turned around again so she faced Raven's back. "I can help you control your powers."

"No, you can't."

Jinx walked forward and turned her back one more time, her spine parallel to Raven's. She took a sigh and tilted her head to the sigh. "Then I can take them away."

"What?"

"My father… I guess I should call him by his name Shreya… the Agent. With his powers… If you want it all to disappear, it can be done."

Raven snorted. "I hate to disappoint you, but your father is dead. I destroyed him."

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "He can't be destroyed and certainly not by the likes of you. Just like your father isn't dead."

Raven straightened up to her full height. "What?"

"You're a smart girl, so this should be easy for you to understand. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it simply changes shape."

"What?"

Jinx shook her head slowly. "Guess you're not as smart as I thought. Just like my father's powers live through me, Trigon's powers live on through you. The only way to destroy Trigon would be to destroy you."

"That's not possible."

"Not possible? It's inevitable. Trigon will always exist as long as his silver seed lives. How do you explain your increase in chaos energy? The same way I did. When my father was destroyed, his powers needed a new container. The only suitable vessels for demoncy are offspring. Candidacy is limited to a brood and from Trigon… it's you… and this you cannot escape."

"I don't believe you."

"Whether you choose to believe or not doesn't change the truth of the universe. But it does affect it. There is no tertiary candidacy. If you destroy your abilities, Trigon is erased from the world… but then…"

"But then what?"

"You won't… really exist anymore. The Raven that this world knows, that the Titans know… she will be a fleeting sensation… from what I understand, those guys: Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire are really important to you."

"There is nothing to me that isn't important. I've fought, died, and lived for everything. For people I'll never meet and for people who would hate me to know that I exist."

"No one said it was easy, but if that power becomes more than my scrolls and your books can handle, it may come to pass." Jinx reached into her sleeve and pulled a jewel amulet in a stunning yellow tint. "Here, this is my Odora Charm. It works by the same principle of you Mirror of Azar… except… stronger. Keep it on you and your chaos energy should be more manageable… but you have to tell me if it ever cracks… do you understand what it means if it cracks?"

"I'm a threat and not a hero."

Jinx nodded in shaky, uncertain gestures. She placed the amulet on Raven's desk. Raven hadn't looked at her since she put her diary away. "Raven, for what it's worth, I'm willing to help you… but I think I'd like to believe it won't come to that…"

End of Part.


End file.
